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orpheusx9

  • Joined Mar 20, 2015
  • 30 / M

Cross Game

Aug 15, 2016

TL;DR - This show is great if you're looking for something on the lighter side with more focus on character development. I'd summarize it as something fun, a little light, with touches of action, humor, and romance.

***MINOR SPOILERS FOLLOW***

Story - 8/10

The story is good, in my opinion. There is a solid foundation for building up expectations for characters, and for the most part, things flow really smoothly. Rarely, if ever, did I watch a scene and not understand why it happened or how it happened (unlike some other shows, where the only reaction I ever have is "WTF?". Watch Big Order to find out what I mean). I found myself rooting for certain characters, which I usually don't tend to do for most shows. So this show has earned a solid rapport for characters from me, and I didn't even really realize it until I started writing this review. 

There isn't any teeth-clenching action like other anime:  other anime like Haikyuu!! and Kuroko no Basuke have superb, riveting moments during the matches, but this one doesn't quite stack up. Things can get exciting during certain games, but as this anime is lighthearted, and is advertised as such, I didn't really ever expect anything super crazy which is probably why I'm so satisfied. 

Animation - 6/10

So, the animation style is interesting. Not sure if you've seen the previews or artwork, but once you take a look, one of the most notable elements is the ginormous ears. Personally, I'm not a huge fan, because it just looks weird and slightly comical, but honestly you get used to it after the 2nd episode onward. I think, actually, the artwork contributes to the fact that this anime is a really fun, dainty watch. Overly beautiful or gorgeous animation would probably drastically change the mood as well as the expectation, thus lowering the score people would give it. But given that the average score on this show is 4.4/5, it looks like it's working. 

The animation of players pitching isn't bad, but once again, there isn't anything superb, even during the matches. Overwhelming detail such as that shown during Aomine vs. Kagami in Kuroko no Basuke should not be expected here.

Sound - 9/10

The sound is solid. The voice acting is superb - I think this is reflected in the rapport I have with the characters. Personalities are believable, and I actually feel like I'm watching a bunch of characters in a story rather than listening to some people read lines off of a script to go with some animation. The opening song is awesome, and is a song I will probably be adding to my iTunes playlist shortly after finishing this series. The ending songs are also pretty good, although not quite up to par with the opening. In general, solid strength in the audio department.

Characters - 8/10

Now, I'm not overly attached to any of the characters, but for the most part, I like all of them. They make sense, and I find myself heavily rooting for some of them in certain situations. A couple typical tropes are employed (the childhood friend, the tsundere girl, etc., etc.), but there isn't anything that has been exaggerated out of this world, so the characters are understandable, relatable, realistic, and they make sense. My one single complaint is that there isn't much of an emphasis made on the MC's love of baseball. You don't really see it much, and you don't hear about it much either. So MC falls a little short on the character development scale (he's also the overpowered MC trope... you know, the guy that learns things really quickly, is somehow way, way better than any of his competitors, etc...). Aside from him, no complaints. My favorite characters are probably Aoba and the old man who coaches the Seishuu team. Funny guy.

Overall - 7.75/10

Overall, the anime was really good to me. At first, I felt like they did too many flashbacks, but this sort of just drives home how much the past event(s) affected the current characters. I'm not normally a super sentimental person, and I guess this anime is light enough that it never really makes you bawl. But there are a few scenes here and there that make your heart twinge a little bit - just the perfect amount for this type of genre. The characters are cute and likeable, and there's enough drama to keep you interested without yanking your heartstrings and thrashing your feels around like some other shows. I got exactly what I was looking for out of this - something a little fun, a little light, with touches of action, romance, and humor. 

8/10 story
6/10 animation
9/10 sound
8/10 characters
9/10 overall
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